Deloitte Canada has hired on Craig Alexander as its first Chief Economist, the firm announced yesterday. Alexander is one of the country’s leading economists, having previously served as the Chief Economist at TD Bank. Alexander will start in the newly-created role in mid-July.

At a time when Canadian (and global) businesses are facing a rapidly shifting economic landscape fueled in part by revolutionary technological changes, Deloitte Canada has decided to create the new role of Chief Economist at the organization. The accounting and consulting firm announced that Craig Alexander has been chosen to fill the role – wherein he will oversee and develop Deloitte’s macroeconomic analysis and forecasting in order to create insightful research on the trends impacting Canadian businesses.

Prior to joining Big Four firm Deloitte, Alexander served as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of The Conference Board of Canada for almost two years. Before that, Alexander was Vice President, Economic Analysis, at think tank The C.D. Howe Institute for one year.

Alexander served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of TD Bank from 2010-2015 – the organization with which Alexander spent the bulk of his distinguished career. He started at TD in 1996 as an International Economist, working there for four years before jumping ship to rivals RBC and CIBC. Alexander returned to TD in 2002 as a Senior Economist, quickly working his way up to Deputy Chief Economist and, finally, Chief Economist in 2010.“Craig is a highly sought after thought leader on issues affecting the future prosperity of Canada,” said Frank Vettese, Managing Partner and Chief Executive of Deloitte Canada. “And we think it’s a big deal that he’s chosen Deloitte to further his contributions to the country.”

Deloitte’s Chief Economist will be responsible for producing economic insights to help clients plan for the future – helping them effectively respond to macro forces and changes in economic policy.

“I spent the bulk of my career in banking using economics to support all divisions of the bank and its clients,” commented Alexander. “I look forward to similarly using economics to support all Deloitte services and clients.”

Added Vetesse, “Together we share a belief that Canada can stand head and shoulders above the rest as the best place in the world to live and work—but there are challenges ahead. Craig’s expertise will enhance our firm’s analytical capabilities and help inform our clients as they consider the courageous actions needed to propel our country forward.”

In addition to his highly-regarded work as a senior executive and economist, Alexander is also a board member in a number of non-profit organizations, as well as a trustee of two pension plans. He holds an MA in Economics from The University of Toronto and a BA in Economics from The University of Western Ontario.